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7' 2Sheets-Sheet 1. WMS'WIOKARF.

' Cultivator.

No. 235,393. PatenteidDec. 14,1880.

2, Sheets-Sheet 2.

iN o.-235 ,-393.- :Patented Dec. 14; 1880.1

ljPETERS. PHOTO-LITMQGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D Q

JOHN w, SWIOKARD, OF GALVA,

PATENT @FFIQEEL ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THOMAS BROWNLEE, OF SAME PLACE.

C ULT|VATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 235,393, dated December 14, 1880. Q Application filed February 25, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, J OHN W. SWIOKARD, of Galva, in the county of Henry and State of Illinois, have invented certainnew'and useful Improvements in Cultivators; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enableothers skilled in the'art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying-drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specificatiomin whichv Figure 1 is a perspective of a cultivator embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, the near wheelremoved. Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the lower end of one of the curved iron plow-beams. Fig. 4 is a sectional plan in the line 00 w in Fig. 3. Fig.

5 is a rear elevation of'the parts shown at Fig.

the line as w in Fig. 1.

In cultivators having means provided for assisting in raisingthe rear ends of the plowgangs, as heretofore constructed, either springs have been used for the purpose or the construction has been such that the draft of the team, when the plows were in operation, would, to a limited extent, assist in raising the rear ends of the plow-gangs.

The first object of my invention is to construct and combine the parts of a cultivator in such manner that the central part of the axle or mainframe and other parts fixed thereto may act as a counterpoise-weight to assist in raising the rear ends of the plow- 3. Fig. 6 is a section of the parts crossed by gangs together or independently of each other; and to this end my invention consists in an axle or frame having oscillating side parts, to

which the plow-gang'sare hinged or journaled,

which side parts are provided at or near their rear ends with journals for the supportingwheels, which journals act as fulcrums on which said side parts may oscillate, and with a central part connecting the oscillating or tilting side parts at or near their front ends, so that it may act as a counterpoise to the weight of the plow gangs, said central part being hinged or journaled to the tilting side parts, so as to permit raising the rear ends of the plow-gan gs independently or simultaneously, and thereby tilting the forward end of either or both side parts of the axle downward at their front ends without inclining the central part either forward or backward.

The invention further consists in a verticall y-adj ustable draft attachment, in combination with aforesaid devices, whereby the draft of the team may be made to force the plows downward into the soil when in operation.

Referring to the drawings by letters, the same letter indicating the same part in the different figures, letter A represents the elevated central part of a cultivator-axle or main frame, which part A may be formed of two bars, A A, converging and connected at their lower ends by a plate, a, as shown in the drawin gs, or it may be constructed in any desirable manner.

A A are the horizontal side parts of the axle, each formed of two bars, 12 I), connected at their rear ends by a bar, I), and at their front ends by a shaft, b. Each side part A has a stud-journal, A, projecting laterally and outwardly from its rear end, on which a supporting-wheel, O, is journaled. The lower ends of the central part, A, each carry a sleeve, D, through which the shafts b pass, respectively, and by which the central part, A, is hinged or journaled to the side parts, A, so that the front ends of the parts A may be lowered and raised or tilted independently of each other or simultaneously Without inclining the part A forward or backward.

The parts A may be constructed in various forms, my invention not relating to their particular forms nor to the specific manner in which the part A is hinged thereto, but to the matter of their being journaled at or near their rear ends to the wheels, and at or near their front ends to the part A, and so constructed that the plow-gangs may be suitably attached thereto.

The plow-gang E (shown at the left-hand side of Fig. 1) is a gang formed of ordinary iron beams c, with a handle, e, each beam being provided with a shovel, e. The beams 6 converge at their forward ends, and have secured thereto upper and lower projecting plates, e'.

F is a plate, secured to the rear bar, h, of the part A of the axle by a stirrup, f, and nuts f, and has studs f projecting from its upperand lower ends, respectively,which pass, respectively, through holes in the upper and lower plates, e,'and constitute the journals on which the gang E may be moved laterally. The plate F may be adjusted laterally on the bar I) to adjust the distance between the gangs of plows.

The right-hand gang, G, is formed of two plows, g g, connected in substantially the same manner as shown in my patent of February 18, 1873, No. 136,108. The plows g are hinged at their front ends to the bar b by vertical bolts 9', on which said plows may have lateral movement.

Gangs such as l have shown and described may be used with my improvements or gangs of any desired construction.

H is the tongue or guide-pole, bolted to the upper central part, A, of the axle.

I is a draft-equalizing bar, pivoted at its mid-length to the pole H, and provided at each end with apendant, h, one of which is hinged at its upper end to each end of the bar I. Links J connect the lowerends of the pendants h, one with each of two draft-bars, K, which are connected one to each end A of the axle. Each draft-bar K has a vertical series of holes, 70, in either of which the book ends of a link, J, may be engaged. Each pendent It has a hole, h, to which a single-tree may be attached for the attachmentot' the draft-animals.

L L are ordinary pendent hooks on the it end of the pole H, on which the plow-gangs may be suspended.

The hinges by which the plow-gangs are connected to the parts A of the axle may be such as described, or may be any ordinary hinge permitting the ordinary lateral movement of the plow-gangs.

In raising the rear ends of the plow-gangs the journals of the supporting-wheels become the fulcrums or axial pivots on which the side parts, A, rotate, and the front ends of the parts A of the axle are tilted or lowered, as shown by dotted lines at Fig. 2 of the drawings, and the weight of the part A and tongue H resting on said front ends tends to press them downward with a force nearly equal to what is necessary to raise the rear ends of the plow-gangs, and thus greatly reduces the labor of raising the gangs to pass over obstructions, to suspend them on the hooks L, or for other purposes. \Vhen either or both plow-gangs are raised at their rear ends, and the side parts, A, thereby tilted and lowered at their front ends, the central part, A, will be held from. inclining forward or backward by the tongue H.

Should the weight of the part A tend, in hard soil or from other causes, to prevent the plows from penetrating the soil to a sufficient depth, the links J may be engaged with a lower hole in the draft-bars K, to cause the draft of the team to raise the forward ends of the parts A" of the axle, and thereby force the rear ends of the plow-gangs downward and into the soil; and the extent towhich the draft maybe thus used may be regulated byengaging the links J with different holes k in the series in the bars K.

M is a plate, U-shaped in its cross-section, and is bolted to the lower rear end ofa plowbeam, and has coincident oblique slots in in its sides, as shown by dotted lines at Fig. 3 of the drawings.

N is a sleeve, similarin form to the plate M, and has coincident oblique slots 12. in its sides. The slots n are inclined in an opposite direction to the slots m, as shown at Fig. 3. The sleeve N is placed over the plate M with its lower end projecting below the plate M, and a bolt, n, is passed through the slots m and n. Through suitable holes in the plates M and N, above the slots at n, a break-pin, n, of wood, is inserted. In adjusting the pitch of the shovels 1, which are attached in any ordinary manner to the sleeves N, the break-pin n" is the pivot on which the sleeveNis turned, and the slots m 11 not only permit of increased extent of adjustment of the sleeve N, but their inclination in opposite directions causes the bolt n to bind against the sides of the slots m it when the lower end of the shovel is pressed against on its forward side, as in operation, and thereby increases its security. The bolt n becomes the pivot on which the shovel and sleeve N turn when an obstruction is met by the shovel with suflicient force to break the wooden pin n.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a cultivator, an axle or frame having a central part hinged to sideparts, so that the side parts may be oscillated without inclining the central part forward or backward, in combination with wheels which support the axle or frame, and to which its side parts are journaled, so that they may be oscillated, and plow-gangs attached at their front ends to the side parts of the axle or frame, so that the weight of its central part counterbalanees the weight of the plow-beams and assists in raisin g their rear ends while permitting the plowgangs to have free lateral movement, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with a cultivator axle or frame having a central part hinged to side parts, so that the side parts may be oscillated without inclining the central part forward or backward, of wheels which support the axleframe, and to which its side parts are journaled, so as to permit of oscillating them, and of plow-gangs hinged at their forward ends to said side parts of the axle, so as to permit of lateral movement of the plow-gangs, and

otherwiseattached thereto so that the central part of the axle will act as acounter-balance to the plow-gangs and assist in raising them from the ground, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In combination with a hinged axle having oscillating side parts, substantially as-described, jonrnaled to the supporting-wheels,

and adapted to raise the rear ends of the plowgangs, which are hinged or connected therewith, substantially as described, the tongue H, secured to the central part of the axle and adapted'to hold it in upright position, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination, with the axle having my own I affix my signature in presence of '25 two witnesses.

JOHN W. SWIOKARD. Witnesses:

H. A. ALLEN, J. S. ALLEN. 

